Senna, Donington Park 1993. Schumacher, Belgium 1991. Vettel, Brazil 2012. All the notable drives from some of the greatest drivers on the planet. But none are as legendary as Lewis Hamilton at Tokyo 2023.
Those of us in the know will remember: Lewis in a white Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, later revealed to be a rental car, roamed Tokyo while thirst-quenching the world’s Instagram feeds entire. Of course, many will remember his triumph at the 2021 Turkish GP, or his incredible championship title at the 2008 Brazilian GP. But for his true fans, Tokyo was his biggest motivation. And he’s surpassed the milestone again with a new video.
It begins with quick, impressionistic cuts of Hamilton behind the wheel of another R34 GT-R – this time a Bayside Blue car on a set of white Nismo LMGT4 wheels. The co-pilot and cameraman is the same as last year, the inimitable Tim McGurr, known as the 13th witness. The team finds themselves right under the famous Tokyo Tower and sets off into the night. “JUST ANOTHER NIGHT IN TOKYO,” the caption reads.
Hamilton then treats viewers to 90 seconds of pure, color-calibrated 4K ambiance. The seven-time F1 champion takes the R34 on Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway, doing donuts in a nondescript, empty parking lot, with the blue paintwork contrasting beautifully with the yellow-tinted streetlights. Am I kidding about this video? Maybe. Yes.
Compared to 2023, there’s a little less bad boy energy in this one. This is a man with an assured future in a red suit, ready to enter the final and perhaps greatest phase of his career. It’s filmed more carefully, more beautifully, but with a healthy dose of breaking shit and getting away with it.
It’s much more than driving at the highest level. It contributes to the culture. Seven titles in F1? Of course, it doesn’t matter. Be an icon while traveling through Tokyo? Proof that Hamilton can do anything.
